English III: The Awakening
Short Essay
Directions: Select one of the following topics. Compose your response to the topic as a short essay of no fewer than 700
words. Begin by identifying specific events in the novel to support your response.
Your essay should have a clear thesis statement, and body paragraphs should have a main idea that supports/proves the
thesis statement. Details from the story, in the form of paraphrases or quotations, will develop each supporting paragraph.
Topics:
1. Why did Edna marry Leonce? Is he a model husband? What incidents reveal that he may not be a good husband
for Edna? What kind of marriage do Edna and Leonce Pontellier have? Point to scenes, actions, or statements to
support your view. How does their marriage change during the course of the novel?
2. How do Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function in relation to Edna and the novel's view of women as mothers
and artists? For what purpose does Chopin include minor characters such as Adele Ratignolle and Madamoiselle
Reisz? Is Edna similar to them? If so, how? Is she different? If so, how? What kind of mother is Edna? What is
Edna's attitude toward her children? What kind of artist is she?
3. Note that, beginning with the first page, birds are a recurring image in the novel. Look at examples. Why does
Chopin use these examples? Note any other images that refer to nature. What is the role of birds in The
Awakening?
4. What significance does swimming have for Edna? Look carefully at Chopin's descriptions of the sea, for example.
What does the word choice here suggest?
5. Edna Pontellier is caught in the contradictions between the way others see her and the way she sees herself.
Identify several moments in which this becomes apparent, and show Edna's growing awareness of the
contradiction.
6. Some critics view Edna's suicide at the end of the novel as a failure to complete her escape from convention—an
inability to defy society once stripped of the motivation of a man by her side. Others view her suicide as a final
awakening, a decision to give herself to the sea in a show of strength and independence that defies social
expectation. Which interpretation do you find more compelling, and why?
READ THE AWAKENING HERE: http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/chopinawake/chopin.html
See the following rubric:
Indicator/Point Value
Description
Indicator: Full,
academic essay
address each part of
chosen prompt.
•
•
•
•
Point Value: 70
•
•
Essay has a clear introduction, well-developed thesis
that fully addresses each part of the prompt,
appropriately structured body paragraphs that support
the thesis, and a strong conclusion.
One prompt is chosen and is included at the top of the
essay (but is not counted in word count).
Each part of the prompt is fully addressed by the essay.
Clear examples are present that demonstrate an
understanding of both the plot and the themes present
in the book.
Details from the story, in the form of paraphrases or
quotations, develop each supporting paragraph (textual
evidence).
Essay has a minimum of 700 words.
Instructor Comments
Indicator: MLA
formatting is met.
Point Value: 15
Indicator: Correct
English grammar is
met.
Point Value: 15
•
•
•
•
•
•
12-point Arial or Times New Roman font
Double spaced
One inch margins
Essay is in MLA format
Works Cited page is included in MLA format
In-text citations are in MLA format
•
•
Writing is free of spelling or word use errors.
Writing is free of run-on sentences or sentence
fragments.
All punctuation is used appropriately.
All proper nouns and the beginnings of sentences are
capitalized appropriately.
All other standard English grammar, punctuation, and
spelling rules are followed.
Sentences vary in structure between simple, complex,
compound, and complex-compound structures.
Fully developed paragraphs have a minimum of four –
five sentences each.
•
•
•
•
•
English III: The Awakening
Short Essay
THE AWAKENING
When Kate Chopin published The Awakening in 1899, her unconventional take on the woman's role in the family so scandalized
readers and critics that the novel was widely banned and abandoned. It resurfaced in the 1970s and offers a brutally honest look at
the limits placed on women by society. The Awakening is also a strong example of regionalism, demonstrating the clash between the
norms of Creole culture and of the main character Edna's Kentucky upbringing.
Directions: Select one of the following topics. Compose your response to the topic as a short essay of no fewer than 700
words. Begin by identifying specific events in the novel to support your response.
Your essay should have a clear thesis statement, and body paragraphs should have a main idea that supports/proves the
thesis statement. Details from the story, in the form of paraphrases or quotations, will develop each supporting paragraph.
Topics:
1. Why did Edna marry Leonce? Is he a model husband? What incidents reveal that he may not be a good husband
for Edna? What kind of marriage do Edna and Leonce Pontellier have? Point to scenes, actions, or statements to
support your view. How does their marriage change during the course of the novel?
2. How do Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function in relation to Edna and the novel's view of women as mothers
and artists? For what purpose does Chopin include minor characters such as Adele Ratignolle and Madamoiselle
Reisz? Is Edna similar to them? If so, how? Is she different? If so, how? What kind of mother is Edna? What is
Edna's attitude toward her children? What kind of artist is she?
3. Note that, beginning with the first page, birds are a recurring image in the novel. Look at examples. Why does
Chopin use these examples? Note any other images that refer to nature. What is the role of birds in The
Awakening?
4. What significance does swimming have for Edna? Look carefully at Chopin's descriptions of the sea, for example.
What does the word choice here suggest?
5. Edna Pontellier is caught in the contradictions between the way others see her and the way she sees herself.
Identify several moments in which this becomes apparent, and show Edna's growing awareness of the
contradiction.
6. Some critics view Edna's suicide at the end of the novel as a failure to complete her escape from convention—an
inability to defy society once stripped of the motivation of a man by her side. Others view her suicide as a final
awakening, a decision to give herself to the sea in a show of strength and independence that defies social
expectation. Which interpretation do you find more compelling, and why?
READ THE AWAKENING HERE: http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/chopinawake/chopin.html
See the following rubric:
Indicator/Point Value
Description
Indicator: Full,
academic essay
address each part of
chosen prompt.
•
•
•
•
Point Value: 70
Essay has a clear introduction, well-developed thesis
that fully addresses each part of the prompt,
appropriately structured body paragraphs that support
the thesis, and a strong conclusion.
One prompt is chosen and is included at the top of the
essay (but is not counted in word count).
Each part of the prompt is fully addressed by the essay.
Clear examples are present that demonstrate an
understanding of both the plot and the themes present
in the book.
Instructor Comments
•
Indicator: MLA
formatting is met.
Point Value: 15
Indicator: Correct
English grammar is
met.
Point Value: 15
•
Details from the story, in the form of paraphrases or
quotations, develop each supporting paragraph (textual
evidence).
Essay has a minimum of 700 words.
•
•
•
•
•
•
12-point Arial or Times New Roman font
Double spaced
One inch margins
Essay is in MLA format
Works Cited page is included in MLA format
In-text citations are in MLA format
•
•
Writing is free of spelling or word use errors.
Writing is free of run-on sentences or sentence
fragments.
All punctuation is used appropriately.
All proper nouns and the beginnings of sentences are
capitalized appropriately.
All other standard English grammar, punctuation, and
spelling rules are followed.
Sentences vary in structure between simple, complex,
compound, and complex-compound structures.
Fully developed paragraphs have a minimum of four –
five sentences each.
•
•
•
•
•
Purchase answer to see full
attachment